Jon Corzine: The Most Responsible Governor in Decades

When Jon Corzine became New Jersey’s 54th governor in January 2006, he inherited a state government that was reeling from decades of fiscal excess and mismanagement.

Previous governors and legislators – from both political parties – had used one-shots and gimmicks to balance the state budget. They left a legacy of mounting debt and unfunded liabilities. Governor Corzine wasted no time putting his many years of professional experience to work for New Jersey.

Governor Corzine’s approach combined fairness, realism, and a willingness to make tough choices. To make government live within its means, he initiated pay-as-you-go accounting and did away with the reckless borrowing schemes and one-shot gimmicks that some of his predecessors had used to balance the budget.

Three years ago, I came to Trenton to make our state a better place for all of our people. To move an agenda on fiscal responsibility, on ethics, on early childhood education, on the environment and on health care. We’ve made important strides. There surely is more work to do, and I’m committed to finishing the job.

He eliminated Christmas-tree spending and secured passage of a constitutional amendment to require voter consent on future debt issuances by the state. In three years, he contributed more money to the state pension fund than had his predecessors over the previous fifteen years, combined. And while previous governors raided the Unemployment Trust Fund to balance the state budget, Corzine stopped the raids and committed new funding to it.

In March 2009 Corzine introduced his fourth state budget. That budget is more than $1 billion leaner than the first budget he proposed in 2006, making him the first governor in almost six decades to decrease state spending. “Fiscal responsibility is in my blood,” explains Corzine. “My parents always lived within their means. When I was growing up on the farm, they taught me that you can’t spend what you don’t have. That’s a lesson that guides me to this day.”

Governor Corzine believes that “fiscal responsibility goes hand-in-hand with moral responsibility. My administration has made it a priority to nurture our children, honor our seniors, and protect the most vulnerable among us.” To that end, the Corzine administration has stepped up investments in education and children’s health care; it has expanded programs to provide senior citizens with property tax relief, home energy assistance, and medical services; and it has increased funding for food banks, housing, and unemployment services. Governor Corzine explains that a leaner budget doesn’t have to equal a meaner budget. “We’ve learned to do more with less.”

Under Governor Corzine’s leadership, New Jersey has blazed news trails in stem cell research, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting auto fuel efficiency standards. In 2007, New Jersey became the first state in more than 40 years to abolish the death penalty, even as the violent crime rate fell dramatically during Corzine’s tenure.

The governor’s fiscal discipline ensured that when the full-blown national economic crisis erupted in 2008, New Jersey was better prepared than other states to weather the storm. The state was able to move quickly to assist those most in need of help, and it was the first state in the nation to pass a comprehensive economic recovery plan.

Addressing a joint session of the legislature this year, Governor Corzine reminded his fellow citizens that tough times demand that we make tough choices. But they also demand that we make the right choices. That’s the Corzine legacy – doing the right thing for New Jersey, even if the right thing isn’t always popular or expedient in the moment.

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